Lab notes

Check out recent research developments at UF Health

Tropical nut may help break addictions

UF Health researchers have identified compounds derived from the areca palm nut that could help smokers and users of betel nut break their addictions. Findings showed the nut’s active ingredient, arecoline, acts on the same receptor proteins in the brain as nicotine. The goal is to design a compound that targets only addiction-related receptors in the brain, meaning it could potentially treat nicotine and betel nut addictions without side effects.

Personalizing leukemia therapy

A genetic variation identified by UF Health researchers may help clinicians target acute myeloid leukemia, a rapidly spreading type of cancer that affects the bone marrow and blood. UF College of Pharmacy researchers found a genetic variation within patients with CD33 — a surface molecule that acts as a receptor for drug therapy on a leukemia cell — can predict the effectiveness of the anti-leukemic drug gemtuzumab ozogamicin, or GO. Cancer cells with adequate CD33 allow GO to bind to it and enter the cell, eventually killing it.

Slowing muscular dystrophy progression

A pair of protein-inhibiting compounds is effective at slowing the progression of a form of muscular dystrophy in animal models, UF Health researchers have found. The compounds are intriguing for possible use by Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients someday because they can be taken orally. Two compounds, edasalonexent and CAT-1041, inhibited a protein that controls DNA transcription, drives inflammation and suppresses muscle stem cell regeneration. That protein also inhibits muscle regeneration.